


Of Caf Machines and Morons

by Nythil



Series: From the Redacted Files of Cipher Nine [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Coffee, Established Relationship, F/M, Firen'kesho'ardu, Frustration, I will make that a tag, Idiot Spy Boyfriend, New recruits have no filter apparently, Star Wars: The Old Republic - Knights of the Fallen Empire, Theron is bothered more than Firen, Theron is tired of this shit, ask a stupid question, bey'wan exists for twenty seconds, but it's growing, in the form of dumb people, she thinks as long they aren't looking to kill her it's fine, somewhere in that time frame, the alliance is still pretty young
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:33:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27003589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nythil/pseuds/Nythil
Summary: "Sir, I was hoping to speak about your...relationship with the Commander."Of course.If this kid asked where babies came from, Theron might never leave the war room again. Regretting getting out of bed already, he waited for the overly excited recruit to continue.___Or, the dangers of getting caf when you're part of the leadership. Theron really should just put a caf machine in the war room already.
Relationships: Female Imperial Agent | Cipher Nine/Theron Shan, Imperial Agent | Cipher Nine/Theron Shan
Series: From the Redacted Files of Cipher Nine [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680079
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	Of Caf Machines and Morons

Get the caf: Theron's morning job. While he and Firen'kesho'ardu had never properly laid out a schedule, they eventually worked out a silent agreement about the responsibility based on time. The two had spent more late nights than they cared to admit running over intelligence reports to bother denying their dependency on the drink. At this point, the fate of the Alliance was running off caf and spite alone. It was dangerous, though; even if they managed to return without spilling anything, the real hazard was getting to the caf machine itself. 

Nestled in the general cafeteria, the trip to recover the drink had always been something of a challenge. Neither Firen nor Theron had ever enjoyed crowds. They could work within them, slipping through quietly and blending in long enough to fool their targets, of course. Walking through a group that simply wanted to speak with them? That felt… unnatural. Most of the inner advisory circle avoided the cafeteria because of that reason: too many questions with no answers, from too many people trying to force their way into their good graces. Firen simply stood out too much to remain incognito (being both a well-known face and, well, _blue_ ). Thus, any meal in a non-restricted area was rarely peaceful. She had been surprised by the number of people who attempted to win her favour, given that she offered no threat of bodily harm against them otherwise. Respect for its own sake and not for self-preservation was very much not common in the Empire. 

Theron didn't have much more luck than she did when trying to move through the crowd. They had ended up wanting his attention almost as much as Firen's. 

Even with the inherent need for secrecy that existed for the Alliance by principle, news spread with the same voracity it always had in any group of people. The gossip of Theron Shan and his relationship with the Commander had been no exception. Juicy bits of information and speculation on how the two spies from opposing factions had come together could be found in any break room among people from both sides. It was exceedingly irritating to Theron; Firen was less bothered by the idea of talked about but unsettled by how much of her life was openly known.

There had been some advantages for Theron. Giving orders had become much cleaner, with fewer people arguing about his choices and more willing to complete his instructions to the letter. After all, whoever had the Commander's ear had the power to influence the free galaxy, but anyone with both her ear and heart was as dangerous as she was. On the other hand, if someone could not get Firen's attention, they instead tried to go through Theron. 

It wasn't as though they were being treated like celebrities, but it was challenging to answer troop deployment questions at 06:00. It was too early to think correctly at that time of day, let alone answer complicated questions.

Thus, the custom of alternating caf runs was formed. Theron took the morning because, in the blinding early light on Odessen, he mingled more subtly into the primarily human crowds. Firen took night because dim light made it more difficult for people to notice her or recognize her face, as well as fewer people milling around in general. It wasn't an exact science, but it was better than trying to go in the middle of the day. 

This morning was an exception; in fact, the cafeteria was oddly quiet today. Only a few handfuls of clustered groups muttering to each other, paying more attention to their food than what Theron was doing. It was easy to tell who had been Imperial and who had been Republic; they didn't intermingle much. Some still wore symbols from their former factions. Despite all the time the Alliance had spent together, old wounds ran deep and hadn't always healed. Imperials tended to give Theron dirty looks, which happened substantially more often since his relationship with Firen went public.

The caf machine groaned as it produced the first cup. 

"Yeah, well, I don't want to be working either," Theron mumbled under his breath as he readied a second mug. 

"Sir!" 

Theron nearly spilt hot caf on himself as a thin, weedy voice sounded from behind him. 

Kriff. 

He had almost gotten out unnoticed. 

Turning, Theron found himself uncomfortably close to a young Mirialan, probably barely old enough to join the military. He was standing less than a foot away, eyes wide with a shaky salute held. 

_Jeez_ , Theron thought, resisting the urge to reach for his blaster, _At least I usually have some breathing room._

"Uh, at ease," Theron sidestepped to give himself more distance, "What is it?" 

The man dropped his hand like a guillotine. If anything had been in the way, it probably would have been chopped clean in half. 

_I'm going to have a chat with Admiral Aygo about teaching some deep breathing or something,_ Theron thought. 

"Yavvos Docit, Sir. I'm a private in the Alliance military. I'm honoured to speak with you, Sir." For a second, it looked as though Yavvos was going to salute again before he seemed to think better of it. He opened his mouth and then closed it again, seeming unsure about whatever he was trying to say.

"Yes?" Theron prodded gently. 

"Permission to speak freely, Sir?" Yavvos shouted as if responding to a drill sergeant. 

Ears ringing from the volume, Theron tried to sound interested, but he just came across as tired. The man didn't seem to notice. 

"Permission granted. What do you want?" 

Yavvos folded his hands behind his back formally and, without warning, leaned close to whisper. He nearly knocked the mug out of Theron's hand.

_I guess I need to tell Aygo to remind recruits of personal space as well._

Theron decided to put the mug on the counter a solid foot or so away, lest it became a health hazard. The last thing he needed this morning was third-degree burns.

"Thank you very much, Private, but you can say what you need to without breathing into my ear," he said, sidestepping once more. 

Theron wasn't sure, but he thought Yavvos looked disappointed for a moment. 

As the private nervously glanced around, Theron was starting to regret his decision. The last time someone wanted to talk to him, it was someone asking if Chiss were blue everywhere. He grimaced internally at the memory. He had practically yelled that yes, of course, it's skin, and then stormed away with the mugs forgotten on the counter. Firen had just laughed when he told her. She had said she was so used to the idea of people plotting against her that she considered such a question to be more amusing than anything else.

"Sir, I was hoping to speak about your...relationship with the Commander." 

_Of course._

If this kid asked where babies came from, Theron might never leave the war room again. Regretting getting out of bed already, he waited for the overly excited recruit to continue. 

Yavvos didn't seem to notice the awkward air around them. 

"I know of the Commander's former posting within the Empire," Yavvos spoke, careful to keep his posture at attention, "and I was wondering if you had plans to...uh…" 

Theron exhaled loudly. He didn't have time for this, not with dozens of reports from field agents waiting for him. Maybe if he was blunt, this interaction would be over sooner.

"To what?" 

"Well, surely, you noticed the opportunity. I mean, of course, you did, or you wouldn't be with her, right, Sir?" The last words came out in a rushed jumble. Yavvos tilted forward, rocking on his heels expectantly, eyes still wide. 

"I'm sorry, what?" Theron blinked, taking a moment to process what the kid had said. "Opportunity to…?" 

Yavvos' face seemed to flicker between anxiety and excitement as if he never expected to get this far. 

"Well, to use your position, Sir." 

Theron blinked. 

_Please tell me I'm understanding this wrong. Don't let this be the start of my day._

Yavvos didn't seem to notice any hesitation in him, barreling forward with all the grace of a krayt dragon. 

"I mean, I'm sure you have, of course. That must be why you're with _her_ , to get information about the enemy! You were a spy, you think of these things!" 

Theron turned, leaned on the counter, and resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. _Of course,_ that was the question. _Of course_ , he was being asked this. He would bet his favourite mug (the one shaped like a rancor) that Firen never got asked anything like this when she was ambushed. 

_Noooo, she probably gets questions about troop movements, what kind of blaster she uses, or how she does her hair like that. No one would ask *her* about using me for the sake of the Empire._

Theron looked at the ceiling, took a deep breath, and turned around to face Yavvos once more. The younger man was still staring at him expectantly, excited and practically bouncing in place. It was as if he thought he had figured out a master plan and was about to be included. Theron had a hunch that finding out there was no undercover mission and that he genuinely did like Firen would break Yavvos' eager little heart. 

At this point, he was also annoyed into no longer caring. In fact, a small part of him was looking forward to it.

He crossed his arms and made eye contact with Yavvos. 

Theron began slowly in a clear voice, giving the other man time to reconsider the dumb thing he had just said. 

"You think that I am in a relationship with the leader of a group outside the Republic and Empire - which was formed to fight against and protect people from Zaakul and Arcann and acts as an independent body - to gather information to aid a Republic that I am no longer a part of."

Theron couldn't contain his exasperation. So he decided not to. 

"You really… you… why - where would you possibly get that idea from? What could you have possibly seen or heard to make you think that?!" Theron had uncrossed his arms. His hands were in a position that would make choking Yavvos suspiciously easy. 

"Well, I - I mean, that's not -" The recruit stumbled over words, trying desperately to form some kind of a reply, his face flushing in panic. 

"You know what?" Theron pointed across the way to a figure sitting alone at a table across the room, "Why don't we bring that question to Admiral Aygo? I'm _sure_ he'll have an answer. Come on," He turned on his heel and started towards the Admiral. 

Yavvos struggled to keep up with Theron as the latter covered the distance with a quick pace, irritation evident in every step. They arrived at the table, Yavvos standing slightly behind a vaguely homicidal-looking Theron.

Aygo looked up with a slightly confused expression, "Good morning, Theron. What can I do for you?" 

Theron gripped Yavvos' arm like a vice and dragged him closer to the table.

"Do you know this recruit, Admiral?" 

Aygo glanced at the shiny, new armour and the only mildly terrified expression on the younger man. 

"I do, Yavvos Docit, a fresh recruit from the last ship to Odesson. Born in the Outer Rim, first time off his home planet. Why?" his eyes narrowed, "What did he do?" 

"You know what?" Theron slapped his hand on Yavvo's back to shove him even closer to Aygo, an entirely subtle threat, "How about I leave him to explain? I was in the middle of getting caf for myself and the Commander, which I would like to get back to," Theron turned on his heel to walk away. 

"Oh, and you might want to teach him what personal space is," he threw over his shoulder. 

Back at the counter, the single cup of caf had gone cold. Theron filled both mugs with a fresh round, his hands on autopilot. At the same time, he tried to clear his mind of the conversation long enough to focus on getting back to the safety of the war room, blissfully populated only by people he knew. While it wasn't the weirdest thing he'd been asked, it was undoubtedly one of the most infuriating things. Theron knew that Firen would laugh when he told her. As was always her first concern, she would say that a raw recruit hardly posed a threat. 

However, Theron also knew that she struggled to make people see more than just the agent she had been before. People like Yavvos were absolutely fanning the flames.

As Theron left the cafeteria, Aygo's voice echoed from behind him, loud enough that the entire room must have heard him: 

"YOU ASKED HIM WHAT?" 

As Theron walked back into the war room, Firen raised an eyebrow.

"You look like someone asked a dumb question," she leaned against the table and offered a smirk. 

Theron sighed. 

"I'll tell you later. Right now, I need to do something so that I don't go back and kill a kid."

Theron put the mugs down next to Firen. She leaned upwards for an appreciative kiss before grabbing one and walking off towards a stack of written reports towering ominously high.

_Forget planning missions; the next thing I'm doing is putting a caf machine in the middle of the war table._

**Author's Note:**

> This has been a WIP since about March, so it feels good to finally have finished it. I hope you enjoyed it! As always, stay safe, have a good day, and any comments or suggestions for future fics are very welcome!
> 
> (The reason Theron thinks Firen gets asked about how she does her hair is because he has no idea how she gets it to stay in place.)


End file.
